FMSEA 2014 is on the Horizon!

The FMSEA 2014 Conference is almost upon us! I hope you will be joining us in Panama City Beach, FL on April 25 – 27, 2014. The Conference Committee has been working hard and has some great things lined up for the weekend including field trips, a SciCafe at Gulf World Marine Park, concurrent sessions and exhibit hall at Surfside Middle School and the Year-End Banquet and Awards Ceremony at Advanced Technology Center of Gulf Coast State College. Below are some details about Elections and Awards for FMSEA 2014.

Elections

Our Board of Directors, as in other organizations, does the majority of the work of the organization during its meetings. The Board meets several times a year at locations across the state and the meetings are open to all members. Taking place over a weekend, the extended time allows the board to fully cover the many items on the agenda, as well as take-in some behind-the- scenes exploring of the host site for our annual conference. There are a number of FMSEA Board positions up for election this year:

Regional Directors (RD) are clearinghouses for information about marine science education events, activities and opportunities. RDs create and support training and professional development opportunities and work to nurture and actively grow that professional network of marine science educators that is FMSEA’s single greatest benefit. RDs must attend and contribute to all Board Meetings.

Secretary

The FMSEA Secretary must attend all Board Meetings and is tasked with recording, preparing and distributing the minutes. Secretary is also responsible for maintaining Board policies and maintaining compliance of the Standard Operating Procedures.

President-Elect

The President-Elect serves for one-year as the de-facto vice president, filling in when the FMSEA President is unavailable, before assuming the office in the following year. The President-Elect also collects the nominations for the next round of elections and awards.

If you are interested in running for one of the positions listed above, please contact Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski at president-elect@fmsea.org.

Awards

We are really excited about this year’s FMSEA Service Award and the John Beakley “Marine Science Educator of the Year” Award. Join us in Panama City Beach to congratulate the recipients!

Don’t forget to tweet, post and Instagram anything and everything FMSEA 2014 using #FMSEA14. See you in PCB!!